Fairy Blood
by Earth Star
Summary: M.K. moves to the small town Moonhaven to live with her father, who is convinced that fairies exist and is determined to prove it. M.K. remains skeptical, until her father goes missing and comes to realize that fairies aren't just stories…and they're not all friendly.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters and don't wish to make any profit for this story.

Author's Note: This hasn't been fully beta read so sorry for any grammar and spelling errors that may appear.

Chapter 1

_Once upon a time, there were two fairy courts; the Winter and the Summer. The fairies of the Summer court were ruled by a kind queen while the Winter court were ruled by a dark king. The courts were as different as night and day but both of them enjoyed coming into the realm of man._

_The fairies of the Summer court enjoyed playing tricks on humans but would often help a human when offered a gift. They found humans to be amusing and while they would seek retribution for an insult would never harm a human unless threatened._

_The fairies of the Winter court however were much more malicious. They enjoyed tormenting humans, paralyzing them with fairy darts and stealing them to their realm for their own pleasure. To them, humans were nothing more than toys to play at their leisure._

_Both the Summer and Winter courts could arrive day and night until one day, the queen of the Summer court changed that. She knew the Winter court fairies court would turn to stone during the day if not for the stones given to them by their dark king._

_No longer able to stand the humans suffering, the queen sought the help of a brave human warrior. Together the warrior and the queen stole the stones and sealed them away in the dark king's own chamber._

_The dark king roared in rage for days and days until he died and another dark fairy took his place as king. With the fairies of the Winter court only limited to come out at night the number of them entering the human world dwindled. The torment of the humans lessened but there was still fear of the Winter court would one day seek revenge._

_The queen appointed the human warrior and all his descendants to be guardians of the border between the two realms. Soon after, the queen stepped down as ruler and assigned another to take her place to mark the beginning of a new era._

_No one knows what happened to the old fairy queen but some say she hide herself away for she was the only living key to open the dark king's chamber. If the Winter court ever obtained her blood and unsealed the door, the dark fairies would conquer the human realm with a cold vengeance and not even the Summer court would be safe._

Bomba adjusted his glasses as he shut the book of fairytales and stumbled over tree roots. "According to that letter, it should be around here." He pulled out his map and ran his fingers over where he had marked it. "Oak tree, it had mention an oak tree." He grinned as he nearly bumped into an a large oak tree. "Eureka! I found it!"

"Morning, Bomba."

Bomba jumped and his hands fumbled but he managed to catch his book before it fell to the floor. He adjusted his glasses and finally spotted the person waving at him from a few trees over. "Oh, morning, Finn. What are you doing out here, so early?"

Finn marched over, holding up his binoculars. "Just getting in some early bird watching. What about you?"

Bomba grinned excitedly. "I've made a breakthrough!" He reached into his jacket. "One of my old university friends stumbled upon this while researching folklore a few towns down from here!" Bomba held it up promptly. "The letter is written by J.M. Lore, the author of this book of fairytales!"

"Um…" Finn said as he tapped his fingers against his binoculars. "That's…nice."

"No, no, you don't understand, he's from this town!" Bomba held up the book. "He wrote a letter to his sister who had married and moved away and in it he clearly states he was told the Fairy Queen story by an actual fairy right here!" Bomba said excitedly.

Finn stared uncomfortably at him as he cleared his throat. "You sure that's a real letter? It could be a fake, like that other one you found-"

"Oh, no! It's real, I doubled checked this time!" Bomba stated proudly. "You can't fool me twice," he then lowered himself to look around the roots, "and I'm certain I'll find real proof fairies exist! This area has to be near the border to the fairy realm. I just need to find a fairy ring to prove it."

Finn frowned as he looked up into oak tree's branches. "Bomba, does that letter have a date?"

"September 25, 1876," Bomba declared as he looked around the tree. "Mushrooms! No, wait not fairy ring mushrooms, just normal ones."

Finn leaned against the tree. "Sorry, to tell you this Bomba but you're probably at the wrong oak."

Bomba peeked around the trunk back at Finn. "What do you mean?"

Finn patted the oak tree. "This tree was planted here only 70 years ago, I know because my grandpa planted it here after a small forest fire. It can't possibly be the tree from the letter. Too young."

Bomba blinked baffled as he looked up the map again. "B-but I could have sworn-"

"However," Finn continued. "I'll bet the oak tree you're looking for is the one near the pond. That one's hundreds of years old."

Bomba grasped his chin in thought. "But that pond is so close to town, I can't imagine fairies going there if they didn't want to be seen by humans."

"The pond isn't that close to town," Finn replied. "And it was a lot smaller over a hundred years ago."

"Hmm….that is true I suppose," Bomba said as he climbed to his feet. "Perhaps, I will go there." He glanced to his watch. "And I better hurry up, my daughter arrives today."

"Oh, right," Finn replied and looked hesitant. "Does she know about your…research?"

"Into fairies?" Bomba said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I have told her but it's been so long since I've seen her. However, I'm sure she'll be just as fascinated once I've shown her the evidence I've gathered."

Finn didn't look as convinced but he offered a smile. "Well, best of luck to you. You'll have to make sure to give her a proper tour of the town."

Bomba gave a laugh. "Right, it's been a few good months since I've been to town myself" He gave a wave. "See you, Finn. Thanks, for the tip!"

"Anytime!" Finn replied as he watched Bomba leave.

If Bomba had glanced back he would have seen Finn pretending not to be watching him until the man was out of sight. Finn then tucked the binoculars back into his pack and headed to the main road.

Directly outside of the woods, sat a black car along with his old friend Ronin, who was leaning against it. "Did he buy it?" Ronin asked dryly as opened the car door.

"Yeah," Finn said as climbed into the passenger's side. "But feel a bit bad for sending him on a wild goose chase. He had a real lead this time."

"It's for his own protection," Ronin said as he turned the engine on. "He's been getting way too close to the border lately." He started to steer the car back to town. "What was the lead?"

"A letter," Finn remarked. "By J.M. Lore, who I know you love so much."

Ronin cursed. Finn knew Ronin detested the man for not only writing down the old town legends but getting it published for the world to read. Since he wrote the book, over a hundred years ago, it cause a lot of unwanted tourists to come hoping to find fairies. The saving grace was that at least the book was out of print now and the number of fairy hunters has greatly dwindle over the last decade.

All except Bomba though, who Ronin would argue was as bad as ten fairy hunters. "I'll have to talk to Tara," Ronin said as he turned to the left in the fork in the road. "She might be able to get a sprite to steal it when he's not looking."

"His daughter comes today," Finn replied. "Think you should be watching her too?"

Ronin frowned. "No, I can't see her being that much extra trouble unless she's exactly like Bomba."

"Bomba is unique," Finn remarked. "Who else who spend 1o years trying to find proof fairies exist?"

Ronin simply shook his head as he made the last turn that led to town.

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M.K. couldn't help but feel like she was the odd one out in the shop. There were a couple of people there but they seemed to blend in more naturally than M.K. Two of them were a couple of elderly ladies chatting as they looked over framed photos of black and white photos of what the plague claimed were "real fairies' and a young married couple in a corner that were chuckling over a map that gave hints where to find fairy rings.

The place was clearly a tourist trap except M.K. was no tourist and this bizarre town was suppose to be her new home. She sighed and tried to ignore the curious stare the shop owner was giving her.

Honestly, she knew her dad was obsessed with fairy lore but why did he tell M.K. to meet him at the Moonhaven gift shop? It was a couple of stores down from the bus station but wouldn't the ice cream shop across the street made more sense?

That place at least had tables outside where she could set her bag without worrying of knocking anything over and she didn't have to be surround by a dozen very creepy and poorly painted statues of fairies. She swore the eyes seem to follow her as she moved within the shop.

M.K. sighed as she glanced to her watch for the fifth time. Her father was suppose to pick her up twenty minutes ago, did he forget? She had already tried calling him but either his cellphone was dead or he didn't have reception where he was since he didn't answer.

"Maybe I should just walk there," M.K. mumbled as she tucked her hands into her pockets.

"Did you need some help?"

M.K. jumped as she spun around to the shop owner that was leaning over his counter.

"No," she mumbled. "I'm just waiting for my dad to come pick me up but I guess he's running late."

"Oh," he said, sounding surprised. He had probably figured she had been a tourist like the others that had climbed off the bus. "Is your dad a local?"

"Um…yeah, he lives just outside of town," M.K. replied and feeling a bit more relaxed.

The man chuckled. "You should have said so," he offered a friendly grin. "I know everyone in this town. I can probably get my son to give you a lift. Who's your dad?"

"Professor Radcliffe Bomba," M.K. stated and she wasn't the least bit shocked by the stunned looked the man gave her.

"Bomba?" the man asked as he stared wide eyed. "Your dad is Bomba?"

M.K. gave a shaky nod. "Yeah…is that a problem?"

"What..um, no?" the man said hastily as he scratched his bald head. "Sorry, you just took me off guard. I didn't even know he had a kid."

M.K. shrugged. "It's okay…truth be told I haven't seen him since I was five."

The man raised an eyebrow. "So, what brings you to visit him now? If you don't mind me asking?"

M.K. chewed her bottom lip. "My mom died a month ago."

The man's eyes softened. "I'm sorry to hear that." He looked her over sadly. "You're awfully young to lose your mom."

M.K. scoffed. "Tell me about."

"So," the man said as he rubbed his chin, "you must be moving here, are you?"

"Considering my dad is my only known family that's alive, yeah."

"Well," the man said as he offered a hand to her. "Let me be the first to welcome to you to Moonhaven."

M.K. gave a half smile as she shook the hand. "Thanks, I actually did come here with my mom and dad when I was five but I don't remember much of it."

"It's a nice place," the man replied. "Granted, takes a while getting use to a small town after living in a big city but it's a good town."

M.K. nodded but gave a careful look around to be sure she wasn't overheard by the tourists as she leaned in closer. "I got to ask but is this whole town fairy crazy?" Since she had gotten off the bus she had seen at least three posters advertising fairy tours and two street vendors selling bells and iron horse shoes as protection against fairies.

The man shook his head and whispered back. "Won't lie to you, there are a lot of folks in this town that takes the local fairy legends seriously but a lot of them play it up for the tourists." He pointed to the couple that gleefully smiled as they marveled over tiny replica of a fairy house. "I don't personally believe in the fairies myself but it does help bring in some income."

M.K. gave a slow nod. "I know it's the stories that attracted my dad," she muttered. "He claims-"

"That he actually saw a fairy during a full moon while out on an evening stroll," the man replied with a knowing nod. "Believe me, we all know the story with him." He paused and looked regretful on how he said it. "I mean, not that it's a bad thing-"

"It's okay," M.K. said with a sigh. "I know he doesn't have both oars in the water."

The man looked ready to say something when the shop's bell jingled and Bomba stumbled in. "M.K.?" he panted as he searched and spotted her. "M.K.!" he pulled her into a hug. "Sorry I'm late but I was on a lead."

She felt a bit awkward hugging but she slowly wrapped her arms around Bomba. "Hey, dad and it's okay. I've just been learning a few things about this place."

"Oh, good and that's why I picked this shop for the meeting," Bomba said as he picked up M.K.'s bag. "Earl knows everything about Moonhaven, don't you Earl?"

"That's one way of putting it," Earl muttered dryly but Bomba didn't seem to catch his tone as he headed towards the door.

"Come on, M.K. my truck's outside," Bomba said as he pointed it.

"Truck?" M.K. said as she looked out the window. "I thought you said you had a car."

Bomba chuckled nervously. "Well, I did but I ended up trading that in for a truck, easier to fit equipment in the back." He continued to ramble as he left the shop and M.K. could only sigh.

"Guess, I'll see you later, Earl," she said with a wave.

"Kid, here's a word of advice," Earl said as he glanced around and then whispered. "Like I said, I don't believe but make sure to stay away from fairy rings, can't be too careful you know?" He glanced around and said in an even quieter tone "Weird stuff has happened in this town."

M.K. narrowed her eyes, she wanted to ask further what he meant but Bomba beeped the horn outside. "Sorry!" he called out sheepishly. "Still getting use to this thing!"

M.K. sighed and thanks Earl before she rushed out to the truck.

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The first night in the house was a bit of a challenge. First, M.K. had to adjust actually talking to her dad, for the first time in ten years face to face. In all fairness, he did at least ask how M.K. had been handling her mom's death since the accident and offered to talk.

However, even if M.K. was in the mood to talk about it, she wasn't sure her dad would be the first pick for it. She could barely find common topics to talk about that didn't include the weather, why would she talk about how she was grieving over her mom's death? Maybe in a few months time she would, but not right now.

Bomba then started to ramble on his fairy research and the progress he had made recently with it. "According to the data I've collected, and this book of fairytales" Bomba said as he flipped opened a book. "The only way to enter the fairy realm is to be taken by a fairy or find a fairy ring to enter it."

"What's a fairy ring exactly?" M.K. asked and recalled that what Earl had warned her about.

"A circle of darken grass," Bomba said as his eyes sparkled with glee, "but they usually have a circle of mushroom or fungi with it."

"Mushrooms?" M.K. asked with an arch eyebrow. Was that seriously what everyone was so concerned with?

"However, a fairy ring only last for one night," Bomba replied as he slammed his book shut. "So, the trick is to find one that is still open before it shuts again."

"And that's what you've spent 10 years looking for?" M.K. asked as she resist the urge to rub her eyes.

"Well, that," Bomba said as he held up a blurred photo, "and solid proof that fairies exist." He handed the photo to M.K. "You probably don't remember but I took this photo when we came here."

M.K. stared at the photo of a few trees with a grey blur that seem to pass by the trees. She had a feeling she knew what this photo was. "Mom told me, this was the night you, her and I went out for a walk?"

"That's right," Bomba replied as he waved his arms like he was re-acting the scene. "It was after supper, and we were on our way back to the cottage when we saw it."

"A fairy," M.K. said, knowing for sure this was the story.

"That's right! He was small and wore skull for a hat but he ran off before I could get a proper picture."

M.K. sighed. "Dad, no offense but that doesn't sound like a fairy to me," she gave a shrug. "Couldn't it have just been a man in a costume."

"That's what we thought at first," Bomba said. "But I chased after it and suddenly there was a bright flash of light and poof!" He waved his hands. "He was gone!" He jabbed his finger at the photo. "I asked the locals and realized it wasn't the first sighting of that particular fairy either." Bomba smirked as he folded his arms over his chest. "There's no doubt that whatever that thing was, it was a fairy."

M.K. sighed. She had debated if she should confront her dad about the issue or not. She was only 15 and would have to be living with him for the next few years but M.K. figured she had to at least try to talk sense into him. "But Dad, it's been 10 years, don't you think it's time to…" she chewed her bottom lip. "Give up?"

Bomba blinked and looked like M.K. had asked to chop his arm off but then he gave a grin with a laugh. "Why would I give up," he said as he moved to reached into his pocket and brought out a letter. "When I got a solid lead!" He handed it to M.K. to read. "There's evidence here of where I could find a possible fairy ring! Read it!"

M.K. read over the letter which she realize was about some guy telling his sister about a fairy he saw. She wondered if it was a prank until she saw the date. "How old is this letter?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's from the late 19th century!" Bomba said with a grin. "And where a fairy ring has appeared once there's a good chance it will appear there again. I just have to find the spot and watch it like a hawk until it appears."

M.K. rubbed the back of her neck. "But don't you think it's time to stop," she brushed the hair out of her eyes. "I mean, yes you saw a fairy but Mom didn't see it and you were both there on that night, so did it ever cross your mind you didn't see anything."

An expression of confusion passed over her father's face. "Didn't see? What are you talking about, Honey? You're mom saw it and fully believed it was a fairy like I did."

"No, she didn't," M.K. replied. "She told me-"

"No, no, she did," Bomba said as he searched through a pile of papers and brought out a notebook. "Here, your mom even took her own notes on it." He handed it to her. "We researched it together for the first couple of months."

M.K. remained doubtful until she saw the pages. They were written in her mom's handwriting and there were even sketches of what fairies possibly looked like. She flipped through the pages and saw there were even more detail notes and drawings. "That doesn't make sense," M.K. said softly. "She always told me she didn't believe in fairies."

Bomba's eyes softened. "Yes, well, I can believe that considering how she suddenly became-" He then trailed off and look hesitant.

"Became what?" M.K. asked concerned.

"Well…um..uneasy might be the right word?" Bomba asked. "She thought we were dealing with things we shouldn't be."

"You mean she was scared?" M.K. asked as she fingered the notebook's pages.

"A bit maybe," Bomba replied but then quickly added. "Not that there's anything to be scared off," he pointed to the door. "I make sure we have an iron horseshoe at each door, fairies are weak against iron you know."

M.K. was only half listening. Why didn't her mom tell her she did believed in fairies? Was she afraid M.K. might start believing in them too? And why would she be scared? Her mom had been one of the most logical people she knew. What was there to be scared of?

It was then M.K. lost her train of thought as the sound of claws running on the hardwood floor echoed throughout the house and a small dog came racing in.

"Ozzy! There you are!" Bomba replied as he scooped him up. "I was wondering where you were hiding."

"Ozzy?" M.K. said in disbelief. "He's still alive?"

"Um, well most of him," Bomba said as he passed the old pug to her and M.K. was greeted by a lick to her face. "He's down to three legs but he keeps going."

M.K. laughed as she scratched Ozzy's ears. "Hey, boy, I missed you."

Bomba smiled as he clapped his hands. "How about I make dinner, while you and Ozzy can get re-acquainted." He headed towards the kitchen. "I got to check my cameras and see if I got lucky today."

M.K. sighed but decided to hold off any more attempted persuasion of getting her dad to give up his fairy search, at least for the time being. However, the revelation about her mother was still puzzling. If her mom had believed in fairies, what could have spooked her to the point of leaving her dad?


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: This story hasn't been fully beta read so sorry for any spelling and grammar errors in advance

* * *

Chapter 2

Elsewhere, far in the dark corners of the fairy realm, the lord of the Winter Court stroked his chin as he reached for a dagger. He gave a loud cry as he swung it at the goblin that was banging his knees together.

The goblin shrieked and shut his eyes as the dagger floor and pinned to the wall with only an inch away from his face. "G-good shot Lord Mandrake."

Mandrake laughed. "Well, look at that my aim is getting better," he grinned at the goblin. "I didn't hit your legs this round."

"N-no, my Lord," the goblin stammered. "Um...that was the seventh round m-may I suggest a different game?"

Mandrake took another dagger and ran his fingers over the blade. "But this is so good for practicing my aim," he narrowed his eyes slyly at the goblin. "And I want make sure you fully remember why you should never be late giving your report." He then loomed over the goblin and pointed it as his neck. "And I'm having so much fun."

"Lord Mandrake," a redcap exclaimed as he entered. "I am here with my report."

Mandrake's smile dropped to a frown and he gave a sigh. "And that ends my fun for now." He glared at the goblin and pointed to the door with his staff. "Go and make sure you're not late next time," he held up the dagger, "or next time I'll be using your teeth to sharpen my daggers."

"Y-yes, my Lord!" the goblin exclaimed as nearly tripped over his feet and ran straight out.

Mandrake shook his head as he the redcap stood in the center of the room. "What news do you have for me?" Mandrake asked as he sat in his throne that was covered in animal skins.

The redcap gave a salute. "We have confirmed that Queen Tara will be choosing an heir soon."

"Ah," Mandrake said with a mocking grin. "So, the grand time of a new fairy queen of the Summer Court is fast approaching. Any word on who the new heir will be?"

"No, my Lord," the redcap replied with a bow. "She still seems to be going over possible candidates."

Mandrake frowned. If he knew who was going to be chosen it would be such a delight to find the heir and kill them before the crown even touched their heads. Although, Queen Tara and Ronin both probably predicated this and were keeping the Queen's list of heirs under lock and key.

Still, even if they couldn't learn the Queen's heir, that didn't mean they couldn't have a little fun.

"What would you have us do?" the red cap asked.

"Keep an eye on the Summer Court and report any possible clues you find on who will be the next heir."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Also," Mandrake said as he gave a wicked grin. "Prepare some mushrooms, I want to have a fairy ring blooming soon."

The redcap looked up and scratched his red coloured hat. "May I ask why, my Lord?"

"Our dear Ronin will be so busy keeping track of Queen Tara and her court," Mandrake replied as he twirled the staff in his hands. "He won't have time to guard that precious human realm of his." He gave a foreboding smile. "It's been so long since we 'invited' a human to come and play with us, don't you agree?"

The redcap gave a wicked grin in return. "It has my Lord, but it has been tricker to lure a human to the rings."

"Keep an eye out," Mandrake said as he sat up. "I know humans and for every smart human there's always at least one foolish enough that you can capture."

"As you wish my Lord," the redcap said with a bow before he turn to take his leave.

Mandrake chuckled. "Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll finally get to bring Ronin's charming nephew here."

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Elsewhere, Ronin sighed as he rubbed his tired eyes. "You certain you can't spare someone to sneak into Bomba's house to get that letter?"

The small furry brownie shook her head. "Sorry, Roninm but everyone's running around with the coronation of the new queen coming up." She waved her little arms as she attempted to keep her balance on the tree branch.

"And even if we could, for a bird brain, that guy knows how to guard his house against full blooded fairies. He has iron horse shoes on every door, bells at every window and a garden full of St. John's wart!" She shook her head. "We would have an easier time sneaking into Mandrake's castle."

Ronin frowned but he gave an understanding nod. "Looks like I'll have to handle it myself then," he rose from the rock he'd been sitting on. "Make sure to tell Tara to stay on high alert. We haven't heard much from the Winter Court lately."

The brownie tilted her head as she leaned on her hands. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"No, cause it probably means he's taking his time planning something," Ronin said as he started to head back.

"Hey!" the brownie protested as she stood up and cleared her throat. "Aren't you forgetting something?" She scratched her throat. "I'm feeling rather parched since, you know, being a messenger is _thirsty_ work."

Ronin paused and then gave a smirk. "Am I? Oh, gee, what could I be forgetting?" He chuckled as the brownie started to glare. "Good work should be it's own reward, shouldn't it?"

The brownie huffed as she folded her arms across her chest and pouted like Nod use to do when he was little. Ronin knew brownies weren't allowed to asked for payment directly but that didn't mean they couldn't hint at it.

Ronin kept his smirk as he reached into his pocket and handed over a bottle of cream. "Here, fresh from Finn's farm this morning."

The brownie's pout instantly turned into a delighted grin as she took the bottle and tied it to her back. "With this much, I'll have enough for a whole day!"

Ronin was tempted to comment that there was such as thing called rationing, but he doubted the brownie would listen. The brownie started to hum to herself before disappearing and retreating back to the fairy realm.

Ronin chuckled to himself as he made his way out of the woods and back to his house. The sun had already set when Ronin entered and locked his door. He spotted Nod's jacket hanging on the coat and tossed his to join it.

"Nod, I'm home!" he called.

"In the living room!"

Ronin followed the voice, but froze when he heard another voice.

"BLAST IT ALL!" a high pitch voice yelled. "YOU CHEATED!"

"I did not! You just suck at this game!"

Ronin narrowed his eyes as he glanced into the living and saw what he expected. Nod was playing video games and a green sprite with leaves sticking out of his hair was smashing the buttons on the game controller. He let out a series of curse words as the black knight on the screen fell while Nod's white knight fighter waved a fist in victory.

Nod laughed as he watch the sprite bang his head against the game controller. "I can set it on easy mode if you want?"

Ronin cleared his throat to be certain he had Nod's full attention. "What is he doing here?" Ronin asked pointing to the sprite.

Nod shrugged. "Roland said he's never seen a video game so I thought I show him."

Roland smashed the button on the controller and growled. "How do I get my knight back up again?" He pointed to the screen. "Knight! I commanded you to get up this instant."

Nod looked ready to intervene, but Ronin beat him to the punch as she picked up Roland. "Fun time is over," he told Roland as he brought him to an opened window and set him on it. "Get on home, for the time being Tara doesn't want any of you lot roaming in the dark."

"All right, all right," Roland said as he shook his head. "No need to get your knickers in a knot, I'm going!" He waved a hand. "Later, Nod! I want vengeance for my knight."

Nod waved, but didn't bother hiding the annoyed look from Ronin as they watched Roland jump out the window. "What did you do that for?" Nod asked as he climbed to his feet. "We were having fun."

Ronin narrowed his eyes. "And you know the rules, no fairies in the house if I'm not around."

Nod rolled his eyes. "It's just Roland; he can be a grump, but he's harmless."

"And he also has a knack for getting into trouble," Ronin replied as he sat on the couch. "Need I remind you when Nim and I had to save his sorry hide from being shipped to the arctic last summer? Or how he convinced you it was a grand idea to go to that pond where that kelpie was?"

"I was eight," Nod replied as he slumped into his chair. "I'm not a little kid anymore. I can take care of myself."

Ronin sighed. Nod was fifteen and he had trained the boy how to defend himself against fairies, however both of these factors didn't stop Ronin's constant worry of Nod being snatched by Mandrake's fairies. Nod had been Mandrake's favorite target since he was five, but so far Ronin had kept his nephew out of Mandrake's clutches and he planned to keep it that way.

"I know you can," Ronin said softly, "but I also know fairies have a knack for getting into over their heads and dragging people along with them."

Nod gave him a skeptical look. "Well, considering that is our family business, shouldn't I just get use to it now?"

"Trust me, you'll get plenty of it in years to come," Ronin said as he stood and tugged Nod's shoulder. "Did you eat yet?"

"I had a chocolate bar."

"Right, so I'll take that as a 'No'," Ronin confirmed as he gestured with his thumb. "Give me a hand in the kitchen."

Nod sigh but proceeded to enter the kitchen. "Why were you so late getting home anyway?"

Ronin opened a bag of dried pasta and handed Nod a pot to fill with water. "Getting a status report and I was trying to see if I could get one of Tara's brownies to get that letter from Bomba." Ronin grabbed the can of tomato sauce. "Unfortunately, they're all busy getting ready for the coronation and Bomba increased the security around his house."

"Can you blame him?" Nod asked he turned off the water tap and set the pot on the stove. "Considering how many things go 'missing' in his house?"

"It's for his own protection," Ronin replied while he took hold of the can opener. "Unless you think it's a brilliant idea to have him catch an actual leprechaun?"

"No," Nod replied as he turned the water on, "just saying the guy has a right to be paranoid." Nod leaned against the counter. "So, do you need me to pretend I'm researching another paper so I can sneak in and swipe the letter?"

Ronin shook his head. "No, I'll do it after I drop you off at school." He tapped the can of sauce into the bowl and looked to Nod hesitantly. "By the way, Nim heard the school's basketball team is having tryouts tomorrow after school. Thinking of going?"

Nod scoffed. "Thanks, but no. I got better things to do than have to spend hours listening to Coach Jones barking orders in my ear."

Ronin frowned and patted Nod's shoulder. "Might not be a bad idea though. You would get to hang out with kids your own age for once instead of an old dinosaur like me."

"I'm fine," Nod said as he rolled his eyes. "I have more fun having out with people I actually have stuff in common with, I do have friends."

"I know," Ronin said with a sigh, "but you might prefer friends who are your age or don't come equip with wings and shaggy hair."

Nod gave a half smile. "Well, rather hard to find stuff in common with the kids at school when you're part fairy."

Ronin was silent. He couldn't argue against that, while Nod's father had been a human his mother was a full blooded fairy. Nod was the only half blood fairy in Moonhaven and he couldn't blame Nod for wanting to keep to himself. Their family had enough on their plate alone, but Nod's was doubled with his fairy blood.

This resulted in Nod prefered to spending time with his fairy friends and Ronin had been getting concerned he'd been spending too much time with them. Ronin had promised Nod's father he would raise Nod as a human and Ronin couldn't help, but worry Nod would forget his human half more and more the less time he wanted to spend with actual humans that weren't protecting the fairy realm.

"Just think about it," Ronin replied as the water started to boil and he dumped the dried pasta in. "You might find you like it."

Nod didn't look convince as he reached for the bread. "Yeah, sure, I'll think about it."

Ronin turned his focus back to cooking so that Nod would at least have more in his stomach than chocolate.

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When M.K. awoke the next morning, she ended up laying awake in her bed for a good half hour before getting up. It was still hard to believe this was her life now. Sometimes it did feel like she would wake up and find her mom making pancakes in the kitchen like she always did.

As M.K. got dressed, she debated on what she should do today. It was Friday, so she wasn't going to start at her new school until Monday. She had been hoping Bomba was planning to spend some time together before school started, but after seeing his 'enthusiasm' on his fairy research M.K. had a feeling she was going to be mostly on her own this weekend.

M.K. slipped her hoodie on as she spotted Ozzy dancing in circles at her and barked. She couldn't hold back as smile as she picked up her old pet. "You want some breakfast, Boy?"

Ozzy gave a gentle growl in which M.K. translated as "Yes," and carried him down the stairs. She set Ozzy on the floor and glanced around looking for her father, but then she heard movement from the study.

"Dad?" she called out as she entered. "Where do you keep Ozzy's dogfood-" She trailed off as saw the person in the room was not her father, but a man she had never seen before.

He spun around from the desk he was standing at and seemed to tuck something into his pocket. "Uh...morning," the man stammered.

"Um...hi?" M.K. replied, unsure if she should be freaked out there was a stranger in her house. "And who are you?"

"Ronin, I live down the road a bit," he said as he offered a hand. "You're Mary Katherine, right? Bomba told me about you."

"I actually go by M.K.," she replied as she took the hand, but kept her eyes narrowed. Had she imagined it or had Ronin stashed something into his pocket so she wouldn't see. "So, what are you doing?"

Ronin looked ready to give an answer, but at the moment Bomba came stumbling in. "Here it is, Roinin!" Bomba exclaimed as he handed over a book. "A complete guide of all the local birds." He gave a laugh. "Although, I never knew you were interested in bird watching?"

"Nim, got me into it," Ronin said as he tucked the book under his arm. "Thanks, Bomba. I'll bring it back once I copy the pages."

Bomba nodded and then seemed to realize M.K. was there. "Oh, sorry. Ronin, this is-"

"We've met," M.K. replied as she raised an eyebrow at Ronin. "And I have to say you don't look what the bird watching type to me."

Ronin coughed, but gave a force smile. "Well, nothing wrong with trying something new." He glanced to his watch. "Sorry to cut this short but I'm late for work."

"Yeah, sure, I need to gather my notes anyway," Bomba replied as he went to sit as his desk. "M.K., can show you out."

M.K. blinked surprise but shrugged. "Um...yeah, sure." She glanced back to see her father starting to go through his pile of papers before leading Ronin to the door. "Um..well, guess I'll be seeing you around."

"It's a small town, so you will," Ronin said with a nod as he went to the door. M.K. then expected for him to shut the door behind, but he paused mid-way and looked at her seriously. "Not to spook you, but if you want to stay safe, stay out of the woods at night."

M.K. frowned as she rubbed her arms. "What?"

"The woods in these parts can be dangerous especially for kids your age," he gestured to where Bomba sat. "Even if he insists, don't let him drag you into the woods."

M.K. wasn't sure if there was a double meaning to Ronin's words but for the moment she nodded. "Um...I'll try."

That seemed to be enough to satisfy Ronin as he proceeded to shut the door. "See you around."

M.K. stared at the door after it shut and she repeated the scene in her head. That wasn't odd, right? The man was just telling her to stay out of the woods at night, a lot of adults would. Still, it was the way he said it and then there was that weird action with his pocket.

"M.K!" Bomba cried as he suddenly raced out of the study and grabbed her by the shoulder. "H-have you seen my letter?! I can't find it!"

"Um, no." M.K. collected herself and pried her dad's fingers off her arm. "Where did you last see it?"

"On my desk," Bomba said as he rubbed his eyes. "I put it there so I wouldn't lose it." He moaned as he buried his face into his hands. "I swear, this always happens. Just when I find something interesting I seem to lose it!"

M.K. chewed her bottom lip and glanced out the window just in time to see Ronin driving off in his car. Could he have taken it? "You lose stuff a lot?"

Bomba nodded. "The worst of it is it always seems to be my fairy research." He grumbled and rolled up his sleeves. "Well, not this time! I'm trying that room apart until I find it!" He glance back over his shoulder. "Mind giving me a hand, Honey!"

M.K. nodded as she stole one last glance out of the window. "Dad, by any chance do you lost stuff after Ronin visits?"

"Ronin?" Bomba asked. "No, but he hardly visits me." He scooped up a pile of papers. "Although, now that you mention it, I always seem to misplace stuff whenever I have visitors."

"Is that so?" M.K. asked suspiciously. "Then maybe there's a connection?"

Bomba paused and stared at her wide eyed. "Oh my gosh, you're right!"

M.K. grinned, glad to see her dad wasn't that clueless.

"It must be the work of the fairies!"

M.K. swallowed hard as she gripped a chair for support. "What?"

"The fairies must be stealing my work while I'm distracted," he ran a hand through his hair, "but I could have sworn I took enough precautions so they can't enter the house. Maybe I need more bells!"

M.K. rolled her eyes. She took it back, her dad was that clueless.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Besides spending a whole day trying to find the missing letter, the rest of M.K.'s weekend was uneventful. She had ended up mostly hanging around the house and tried to find quiet places to practice her sketching. She had pondered possibility going into town and explore but she kept putting it off since she really had no one to show her around, except her dad who was too busy trying to chart possible hiding places for imps.

However, her nerves started to rattle her Monday morning as he was forced to prepare for her first day of school. M.K. had assumed her father would be too pre-occupied and she would have to walk but she was surprised to find her dad offering to give her a ride to school.

She took to the offer, even if the ride was a bit awkward. M.K. could tell her dad wanted to offer her encouragement but he seemed unsure what to say as he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Um…." he rambled. "Do you want me to come and pick you up?"

"No, it's okay," M.K. replied as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "I can find myself home."

"Oh, alright," Bomba replied as he adjusted his mirror. "I'll try to be home for dinner but I maybe running late."

M.K. tired to smile as she climbed out of the truck. "I can take care of myself for dinner," she waved. "So, I'll see you later!"

"Have a good day, Honey!" Bomba cried as he shut the door and drove off.

M.K. sighed and tried to ignore the snickers she heard from a couple of boys that had been sitting on the steps. "And the new school starts," she grumbled as her fingers tightened around the straps to her backpack.

The morning went as well as M.K. expected. Her homeroom teacher, science teacher and history all introduced her to the class as the new kid. Each time, M.K. gave a small wave as some of the students looked mildly curious while the others barely acknowledged her existence.

She was relieved she didn't get teased for being the new kid but no one approached her to introduce themselves either. It was a small town and M.K. had a sense, from looking around at the various groups, that kids tended to stick to friends they've known since elementary and none wanted to risk being the first to invite the new kid in.

M.K. wasn't really bothered by it until lunch hour came and she had to find a place to sit. Every table had been claimed by a different group and M.K. couldn't steal a seat at any of them without receiving the look that she was a an intruder on their turf.

She endlessly encircled the cafeteria and seriously pondered if she should try risking stealing an empty chair from a group when she spotted it. Off in the far corner, there was a table with only one student.

He was a boy and he seemed to be tuning out the tables around him as he read the book while he ate. Feeling like she had found the oasis in the desert, M.K. approached. She didn't know if she should bother or not but she cleared her throat.

"Um...can I sit here?"

The boy glanced up and then looked around in confusion to confirm she was talking to him. "Uh...yeah, it's a free country."

She gave a sigh of relief as she pulled out the chair and sat. "Thanks...um...what's your name? I'm M.K."

The boy gave a chuckle as he placed his book down. "M.K?"

"Short for Mary Katherine," she replied as she poked at her meal. Did he think it was funny? He wouldn't be the first.

"Oh," the boy replied as he processed it. "Okay, that makes more sense and I'm Nod by the way." He raised an eyebrow as he looked her over. "You're new aren't you?"

M.K. gave a nervous laugh. "Is it that obvious?"

"Considering you're sitting at the table of the well known loner in this school," Nod replied. "Yeah, a little."

M.K. rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, can you blame me?" She gestured to the other kids around them. "Seems like everyone already in a herd."

Nod sucked the air through his teeth and gave a nod. "No, I can't actually." He offered a smiled as he set his book down. "So, did you just move here?"

"Last week," M.K. explained as she tried to poke at her food. "My dad already lived here, so I came to be with him." She wasn't sure if she should add "Because my mother died," but she rather not get into the topic just yet. "It's a big switch for me though, not use to being in such a small town."

Nod shrugged. "You'll get use to it, although," he cast her a sideway glance. "If you don't care much for fairies, you might have a tough time."

"What is it with this town and fairies?" M.K. asked curiously. "I mean, I get it's a good way to lure tourists in but so many people seem to take it so seriously." She remembered the warning Ronin had given her about the woods and then of course there was Earl's warning of avoiding the fairy rings.

"There's a lot of old legends about them in this town," Nod said as he leaned back in his chair. "This town is suppose to be the closest to the border between the fairy realm and the human realm."

M.K. raised an eyebrow. "You know a lot about the subject, huh?"

Nod gave a half smile. "It's kind of part of my family's business." He then frowned and looked at her curiously. "You don't care much for fairies?"

M.K. chewed her bottom lip. "It's not that I don't care for them, I've just never thought much about them and...my dad talks about it non-stop. So, I feel like I'm getting a lot of info jammed into my head at once."

"Ah, been there," Nod said as his fingers tapped his book cover, like he was debating on what he should talk next.

However, it was then M.K.'s eyes happen to glance on the title and grinned. "Is that the latest Saunterland book? I didn't think it was in paperback yet."

Nod blinked surprised as he held the book up. "You read this series?"

M.K. nodded. "It's my favorite mystery series, although I didn't care for the third one. Is that one any better?"

"A lot," Nod said, as his eyes sparked with enthusiasm. "I won't spoil you but this has a lot more of Jodi in this."

M.K. felt herself relax more as she and Nod started to compare notes on which novel was better. Before either of them knew it, lunch hour was over and they were force to part ways for the time being.

M.K. was then forced to endure a English class and then finally freedom was in sight as she headed for math class, which was also the final class for the day. However, as she entered she heard a whistle and glanced up.

Nod waved from his seat in the back and M.K. couldn't hide the smile off her face. At least she had one person she knew in one of her classes. She was forced to sit up near the front but during the lesson she couldn't resist giving a sideway glance back in Nod's direction. She felt relief when the teacher Mrs. Green said "Class was dismissed," and they were finally free to leave.

The other kids instantly fled the classroom but M.K. tossed her bag over her shoulder as she went to greet Nod. "I got to ask," she said as she doubled check to make sure the teacher had left, "is Mrs. Green always that...cranky?"

Nod laughed as he stretched his shoulders. "Yes and believe it or, assigning 4 pages of math questions is when she's in a good mood."

"Oh, goody," M.K. replied as she looked to her math book. "That's something to look forward to."

Nod rose from his chair. "I may order a sundae at Nim's on the way home. My brain needs a sugar boost before I tackle that homework."

M.K. tilted her head as she slipped her backpack over her shoulder. "What's Nim's?"

Nod stared at her like she was asking what a tree was. "You don't know what Nim's is?"

"As I've said, new kid in town and I haven't gotten to see much of the place yet."

"Oh, yeah," Nod said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's an ice cream shop and the official name is Nim Galuu but most locals tend to refer to it as Nim's since Nim owns it."

"Ice cream shop," M.K. said as she chewed her bottom lip. "Wait, is it that place that right across where that fairy gift shop is?"

"You got it," Nod confirmed as he got out of his seat and picked up his backpack. He then went quiet as he looked at M.K. and seemed to be debating something.

"What?" M.K. asked as she looked over her clothes and wondered if there was a stain or something else Nod was staring at.

"No, it's nothing," Nod stammered and ran his hand through his hair, "but, you can come with me if you want. Although, it's usually crowded at this time of day, all the other kids tend to hide out there after school."

"Oh," M.K. asked, slightly surprised. Nod seemed to be a little nervous. Was it that weird to be asking her to tag along? "Sure, that'd be great," M.K. replied. "I have no clue when my dad will be home so I got time to kill, as long as it isn't out of your way."

"Naw, I'm suppose to meet my uncle there," Nod replied as they both left the classroom. "We can split a sundae."

M.K. chuckled. "But I barely know you," she replied as she went to chase after him.

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Ronin poked at the remaining pieces of the letter in the fireplace until it was all reduced to ash. He wiped his forehead from the heat as he sat back and reached for the bucket of water. "And that's one less problem," he muttered as he dumped in the water and sighed. "Now, if only I could keep Bomba-"

He trailed off as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Discreetly, Ronin reached for his dagger that hung near the fireplace and as soon as he sensed the presence behind him, Ronin spun around.

A shriek was given as a brown ferret dashed away in front and duck beneath the nearest a chair.

Ronin cursed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, for heaven's sake, Grub you gave me a heart attack!"

The little ferret's tail peeked out from beneath the chair and wagged at Ronin innocently. Ronin shook his head. Years ago, when he had decided that Nod needed a furry companion to keep him company, Ronin had fully expected the boy to pick a dog or at least a fish, but nope! It had to be a ferret. They had been in the shelter for barely five minutes before Ronin realized his nephew had vanished from his side and had made a beeline for the ferret that had been recently rescued.

At that point, Ronin will never know for sure, but it may have been possible to convince Nod that a ferret was not a good idea for a pet and steer him back towards the dogs, except all his chances were dashed as a volunteer offered Nod a free book all about ferrets.

Ronin knew his fate was sealed as he watch Nod devour the book and start reading off random facts about ferrets and why he had to have THIS particular one. Although, what on earth convince Nod to name the ferret Grub that would forever remain a mystery.

Ronin place the dagger back as he saw Grub peek out from his hiding place. "How did you get out of your cage, again?"

It was then the household's second furry animal entered and walked by Ronin's feet before selecting a perch on the same chair Grub was hiding other. Ronin's eyes narrowed at the brown and white cat and he pointed at him accusingly. "Mub, this was your doing, wasn't it?"

The cat glanced up, flicked his ears as he gave a "Well, duh?" meow before returning to his grooming.

Ronin shook his head. How Nod's cat managed to break the ferret out of his cage, time and time again he would never know. It had been tricky enough to have just the ferret in the household but then Nod had to find that stray cat.

He had been caring for it in secret for a good month before Ronin learned of it and that was only because the cat had gotten injured and Nod was desperate to save him. Ronin still remembered a ten year old Nod, carrying the limp cat in his arms as he tried to hold back the tears.

Ronin had instantly called Finn over since he was use to caring for animals due to his farm. However, Ronin had the harder task of calming Nod down and reassuring him the cat was not going to die. Course, he had assumed Finn would offer to take the cat home with him since he already had three.

But no, Finn decided to be sneaky and state he was certain the best place for the cat to recover was right there with Nod and Ronin. If Nod hadn't been in the room, Ronin would have strangled his oldest friend.

The cat was only suppose to stay for a month, two months stopped but that infernal creature had somehow manage to convince Ronin to let Nod keep it. Ronin was fairly certain it was the sight of seeing both Nod and the cat cuddle together and sleep that finally broke him.

Thus, Mub was added to their little family and Ronin. It was also then Ronin promised himself that he would get Nod a book of baby names before his nephew had children since he was seriously questioning his tastes for proper names.

Ronin reached for his jack as he headed towards the door. "I'll get Nod to put you back into your cage later," Ronin replied as he turned the knob and locked the door. He glanced at his clock to check the time before he headed into the woods.

He was due to pick up Nod in an hour but he had a meeting to attend first. Ronin kept walking until he spotted the old oak tree and heard humming. As usual, Tara was making a crown out of daisies and gave a warm smile.

"Want one?" she offered as she held up her creation.

"Aren't you a little old to make crowns, Tara?" Ronin asked as he took a seat on the stump next to her.

"You're never too old to make crowns." She held it up and placed it on Ronin's head. "There," she proclaimed as she ignored Ronin's annoyed glance. "It's suites you."

"If you're done mocking me," Ronin said as he removed the crown. "How is the coronation coming along?"

"I have my candidate," Tara said with a smile as she held up a finger, "but I can't pass on the crown until the next full moon, so I'm trying to keep it a secret."

"Knowing Mandrake, he'll probably try to stir trouble to stop you from passing the crown."

Tara frowned and gave a nod. "I am concerned he may kidnap some humans since all my fairy guards are distracted with guarding the court."

Ronin sighed, that had been his same fear as well. "Thankfully, Nod has enough common sense to keep his bells on him and the tourist season is low at this time of year. So, they shouldn't be that many humans in the woods."

"What about Bomba?" Tara asked. "I heard he was near the oak tree."

"I already burned the letter and Finn managed to direct him into a safer direction." He ran a hand through his hair. "His daughter arrived and I already told her the same warning."

Tara folded her hands into her lap. "He has a daughter?"

"About Nod's age," Ronin said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "And she seems a lot sharper than Bomba, she caught me stealing the letter."

Tara chuckled. "Oh, you're getting slow in your old age, Ronin."

Ronin raised an eyebrow. "Unless it's a dark fairy, I'm not that concerned about a teen girl seeing me."

"Well, speaking of old age," Tara said as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Once I step down as Queen, I'll be in retirement and I'm looking forward to moving into the human realm."

Ronin cleared his throat. He nor she had certainly never kept their feelings for each other a secret, but protocol had to be followed while she was Queen. "And where do you think you'll live?"

"I figured I move in with you and Nod, I already got his approval."

"Don't I get a say in the matter?" Ronin asked dryly.

Tara chuckled as she kissed Ronin on the cheek. "Perhaps a little," she said in a teasing tone.

Ronin smiled but gently took her hand. "Seriously though, Tara are you sure you want to do that?" He frowned and gently squeezed her hands. "We both know that most of the court frown upon fairy and human...relations." That was putting it mildly.

There were fairies that choose to live in the human world regularly but those were considered to be oddballs by most of the court. However, falling in love and marrying a human was considered scandalous.

Tara smiled as she leaned into Ronin. "We both know I've always liked the human realm more than the fairy realm." She looked up at him. "And before you asked, it was far before you and I ever met, so no it's not only for you."

Ronin smirked. "If that is what you wish your majesty, I will support you."

Tara kissed his cheek and sighed. "But while I still wear the crown, I need to get back." She rose from the seat and straightened her gown. "I'll send word as soon as we heard any of the Winter Court activity." She gave a smile as leaves began to encircle her like a whirlwind. "Say 'Hi' for Nod, for me."

"Will do," Ronin said as the leaves covered her and suddenly Queen Tara vanished. Ronin looked to where Tara sat thoughtfully before he rose. Her moving in wouldn't be that big of a change for him and Nod. Nod had always been fond of her, and Tara was well aware Nod was always a priority for Ronin. Still, it would take some adjusting but that was worry for later. Right now, they had to watch the Winter Court like a hawk until the new Queen was crowned.

Ronin glanced to his watch and started to head back. It was time to go pick up Nod at Nim's and he just hoped the boy didn't stuff his stomach up with ice cream again. Ronin would like to see the boy eat some actual non-sugar food later.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Relations

"Here you go!" Nim said as he placed two ice cream sundaes on the table where M.K. and Nod sat. "Two specials!"

Nod looked over his sundae and then to M.K. "Is there a reason why mine is clearly smaller?"

Nim folded his arms over his chest. "Yes, it's cause I don't want Ronin yelling at me for letting you be stuffed with ice cream before dinner."

Nod rolled his eyes. "I'm not a kid, I can eat what I want."

"Oh, you can," Nim said as he laughed and went back inside the shop. "Eating smart though, that's an entirely different story."

Nod pouted as M.K. giggled. "He's known you a long time?"

Nod shrugged as he poked at the chocolate sauce on his sundae. "Since I was a baby, he's like an extra uncle to me."

M.K. ate a mouthful of ice cream as she pondered over what Nim had just said. "He said Ronin? I met him last week," she pointed the spoon at him. "Is he your dad?"

Nod stopped chewing and swallowed his ice cream. "Uh, no," Nod replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "He's actually my uncle, but he's became my legal guardian after my dad died."

M.K. looked up and chewed her bottom lip. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Nod shrugged. "It's okay, it's not like I expect you to be a mind reader."

M.K. twirled the spoon on her hands. "I was living with my mom, but I came to live with my dad because she died in a car accident."

Nod glanced up and offered a smile, but it wasn't a pitted one she would see whenever she mentioned her mother's death. It was a half forced smile, a kind M.K. had been doing a lot since her mom's funeral.

Nod knew the pain M.K. was feeling and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "You get use to it," Nod replied softly. "It's weird, but trust me, it gets better."

M.K. squeezed back. "How old were you when your dad died?"

"Only five," Nod admitted, "but I have good memories of him. I technically still have my mom but she's not really available to take care of me, so that's why I live with my uncle."

M.K. was tempted to ask about his mom but considering her current situation with her own father, she didn't feel it was the proper time to ask. Nod had only met her today, so instead she offered a smile as they ate in silence to finish their sundaes.

Nod scraped the last spoonful of his and grinned. "See, good, eh?"

"Never doubted you," M.K. replied.

"Hey, I should have enough left to buy a couple of cookies," Nod said as he reached into his pocket for his wallet. However, as he yanked it out he froze as a bracelet jingled and fell to the pavement.

M.K. stared curiously and scooped it up before Nod could. At first glance, she thought it was some kind of charm bracelet, but instead of having different charms it had five bells hanging from it. She fingered it and pondered if it was possibly made of iron. "What's this?"

Nod blushed madly as he reached over to take it back from M.K. "It's a bracelet my uncle gave me." His eyes softened as he toyed with the bracelet in his hands. "It use to belong to my dad."

M.K. raised an eyebrow. "I don't know I've ever seen one with that many bells on it."

"Well," Nod replied slowly, "it's a family heirloom and I'm suppose to keep it on me at all times."

"Why? Family tradition?"

Nod chewed his bottom lip but whatever he was going to say seemed to have left his head as he glanced over M.K. "Ronin! 'Bout time you showed up."

M.K. turned as she saw Ronin climbed out of his car. The man glanced up and blinked surprised seeing M.K. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Nod invited me," M.K. replied as she pointed her spoon at Nod. "But, wait, I didn't realize Ronin was your uncle."

"You two met?" Nod asked surprised.

"Briefly," Ronin said as he looked to M.K. thoughtfully. "But Nod invited you?" Ronin asked as he raised an eyebrow. M.K. was wondering if he disapproved for some reason, but instead he gave an amused smile. "There's something you don't see everyday."

Nod rolled his eyes as he leaned back in the chair. "Geez, don't make a big deal," he grumbled. He glanced at his watch and sat forward. "Time to go home?"

Ronin nodded as he glanced to M.K. "Do you need a ride home? I can drop you on the way."

M.K. shook her head as she picked up her bag. "I need to pick up a few groceries on the way home, since I'm fairly certain dad didn't."

Ronin frowned but didn't look surprise. "He is a bit known to be an absent minded professor."

"That's putting it mildly," Nod muttered, but went quiet as Ronin poked him.

M.K. offered a smile as she rose. "I'll see you tomorrow, Nod?"

Nod shrugged. "Sure, we'll-"

"Why don't you come for dinner tomorrow?"

Both teens turned to Ronin who looked to M.K. with is arms folded over his chest. "That is, unless you have plans with your father."

"Um, no," M.K. replied as she shook her head. "But are you sure you don't mind?" It would be nice to have a real meal. M.K. could cook a little, but she could only keep eating instant noodles, sandwiches and frozen dinners for so long. Granted that was still better than what her dad could do and that was when he remembered, which had only been for one meal so far.

"It's fine," Ronin replied. "We always make more than we can eat and maybe Nod will have proper table manners for once if you're there."

"Hey," Nod protested with a glare. He then looked to M.K. and rubbed the back of his neck. "But yeah, sure if you think you can stomach some of Ronin's cooking, feel free to join my suffering."

M.K. laughed. "In that case sure." She then frowned and looked to Ronin. "By the way, my dad seemed to have misplaced a letter right after you came by? Don't suppose you've seen it."

Ronin's face was unreadable as he gave a shrugged. "Sorry, can't say that I have."

M.K. raised an eyebrow, but decided to drop it for now. "Well, thanks. See you tomorrow, Nod."

As M.K. walked away, she knew in her gut Ronin was lying, she had seen the man stuff something into his pocket but why? Why would he bother? M.K. pondered if maybe she should cancel and make up an excuse to skip the offer on dinner, but she did really like Nod.

Also, to be fair she barely knew Ronin and maybe she was just paranoid. It was possible he was telling the truth and there was no need to jump to conclusions, right?

M.K. decided to drop her mental debate for now as she headed into the grocery store to find something edible for her dinner.

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Nod waited until they were safely in the car before he asked "What did M.K. mean by a letter?"

Ronin sighed as he turned on the engine. "She had spotted me stealing Bomba's letter while I was at his house."

Nod snickered. "You, the great Ronin, got caught?" He covered his hand over his mouth. "Oh, you're getting slow in your old age."

"Yes, yes, laugh it up," Ronin said as he pulled the car out and they started to head home.

Nod then ceased his chuckling and blinked confused. "Wait, what was M.K. doing at Bomba's place?"

"Cause she lives there," Ronin said with a smirk and when Nod still looked baffled he asked. "You do realize who she is?"

Nod shrugged. "Um..a girl?"

"Try Bomba's daughter," Ronin said, dryly.

Nod choked as he straightened in his seat. "Wait, Bomba has a daughter?"

Ronin nodded as he made a right turn. "She just moved here a few days ago."

Nod blinked as he drummed his fingers against his knee. "You sure about that?" He gave a half smile. "Cause I got a hard time believing Bomba has a daughter that cute."

Ronin chuckled. "Yes, but from what I've seen she has a bit more sense than her father."

Nod then folded his arms over his chest. "Is that why you invited her over? To see personally if she's as bad as Bomba?"

"That's part of it," Ronin admitted. It would be easier to judge if he and Finn would have to keep an eye on her. "Although, I'm more intrigued with seeing you hanging out with a human kid your age."

Nod blushed and turned his head to the window. "Again, it's not that big of a deal."

Ronin rustled Nod's hair as he drove up the road to their house. "Talked to Tara and she informed me about how you and her planned to have her move in?"

Nod scoffed with a grin. "Oh, like you weren't planning on asking her when she wasn't queen anymore."

"There are protocols to these things," Ronin chided.

"Yeah, but if Tara and I waited for you it be a good decade before you got around to it." They pulled up in the driveway and Ronin shut the engine. "Besides," Nod continued. "Be easier for Tara to teach me how to use magic with her around."

"Oh, goody," Ronin replied. "Just what I need, yellow sparkles making my table float."

"Hey, I only did that once," Nod shot back as they got out of the car. He drummed his fingers on the hood of the car as he waited for Ronin to climb out. "Don't suppose, Tara had any messages from Mom?"

Ronin looked up with an apologetic look. "Sorry, Nod," he said slowly, but quickly added "but with the coronation, Stella's probably busy preparing for it like the rest of the court."

"Ronin, I'm not a kid," Nod replied with a hard look. "Don't bother playing pretend."

Ronin went quiet and sighed. He personally had nothing against Stella, she was a fairy and most of the were some of the flightest creatures he's ever met. He was amazed Tara was as grounded as she was. Still, Ronin never considered that as an excuse for how neglectful she was for Nod, even if she was still in grieving. "Sorry, no there wasn't."

Nod gave a shrug and said nothing. It was really sad at this point the kid wasn't surprise by this anymore. Ronin went around the car and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, if we don't make supper soon, Mub and Grub will probably eat the furniture."

Nod gave a half smile as he leaned into Ronin and they entered the house.

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M.K. had made a basic dinner of soup and a sandwich, and had just finished washing her dishes when Bomba appeared. "Hey, Dad-" M.K. started but then trailed off as she saw her father was covered head to toe in leaves and twigs and there were some scratches on his arms.

"Uh…" M.K. stammered as Bomba grunted to get the twigs out of his hair. "Rough day?"

Bomba removed his head gear of goggles and adjusted his glasses. "I spent the whole day going through the woods where Finn told me."

"Finn?" M.K. asked. Ronin had mentioned a Finn hadn't he?

"Oh, right, you haven't met yet," Bomba replied as he washed his hands. "He runs a farm not too far from here. Reminds me, I need to stop by there for groceries this week." He waved his hand. "Anyway, he told me the spot I found in the letter was suppose to be there, but I found nothing there but weeds and a grumpy badger."

"A badger?," M.K. replied as she reached for the first aid kit. That would explain the scratches. "Do we need to take you to a doctor?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Bomba replied as he opened the lid and reached for the iodine. "However, with that said, I'm going back to the spot I originally thought it was in the letter." He winced and he patted his scratches with the cotton and then applied the bandage. "So, with that said, Honey, you won't be seeing much of me for the next couple of days."

_Surprise, surprise_ M.K. thought sourly but kept it to herself. "That's fine, I got an invite to Ronin's place for dinner tomorrow."

Bomba blinked as he finished wrapping the bandage. "Ronin?"

"I made friends with his nephew, Nod," M.K. explained as she shut the kit. "So, he invited me over."

"Oh, Nod!" Bomba said as he nodded. "He's a nice kid! Bit odd at times though."

_Dad, you're not one to talk_ M.K. thought.

"But that's great you made a friend already," he said as he rose and patted her shoulder. "Well, you have fun then." They suddenly heard a yap as Ozzy walked into the kitchen and encircled the table.

"Oh, honey," Bomba replied as he went to leave the room. "Mind giving him his food, I need to go-"

"Already, did that," M.K. replied as she gave Ozzy a dog biscuit. _Course you would know that if you were here._

"Oh, great," Bomba replied as he left. "I got some notes to make, I have a meeting with Professor Stone later this week!" He waved a hand before disappearing. "Don't stay up too late!"

M.K. sighed as she looked to Ozzy. "With how attentive my dad is, I am amazed you lived so long."

Suddenly, Ozzy's ears perked up and he gave a growl as he raced into the living. M.K. frowned as she followed. "You hear something?"

Ozzy was standing on top of the couch and growled as he stared out of the window. "Probably a squirrel," M.K. replied as she went to look. "Sorry, but I can't let you out after dark-"

Suddenly, something moved among the trees and M.K. jumped. Ozzy growled and barked as M.K. gradually grew closer to the window. Whatever she saw, it was bigger than a squirrel or a dog for that matter. Was someone on their property?

She started to reach for her hoodie but Ronin's words echoed in her head. _Stay out of the woods at night._ Her hand hovered above the hood as she gazed back out of the window until she dropped it. M.K. was probably being paranoid and going into the woods at night would be foolish.

She stared at the dark woods one more time but she picked up Ozzy to distract him with a squeaky toy. It was probably just some animal anyway. No way could it have been a person.

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Deep in the woods, the imps chuckled together from their perch on the branches. They hadn't been able to lure either the man or the new girl out of the house. They had stopped by from attempting to peek at the Guardian's house, but sadly they could tell there was no chance of stealing the boy.

Still, Lord Mandrake had ordered a human to be taken and they would succeed. They hadn't been able to catch any foolish humans off guard yet, but there was always tomorrow.


End file.
